Page 19: of Marine News Magazine (February 2013)

Waterway Operators Responsible Carriers Program, noticed the difÞ culty that smaller companies were having in maintaining their Safety Management Systems. Tugboat Compliance Systems is billed as a cost effective alternative for smaller outÞ ts needing to manage a safety management system in a standalone version. In a pre-subchapter M world, there are a lot of operators in this particular boat. According to Teicheira, his system is ideal smaller companies with 1 to 5 tugs. Set up as a Òsoftware as a solution,Ó with web-based cloud delivery, it comes complete with a secure data center. This results in lower initial investment and a transfer of the traditional IT duties to the software provider. Teicheira adds, ÒJust the ticket for small and medium sized operators.Ó As he performed audits over the years, Teicheira found that safety programs and protocols were usually in place, but largely informal in their application. Beyond this, the sometimes-proprietary in-house computer programs used to facilitate these duties became neglected once the in-house IT facilitator left the company. With a Safety Management System (SMS) software adjunct for auditing safety in mind, Tugboat Compliance Systems aims to be the towing industryÕs version of the bluewater SMS. TugBoat Compliance software contains all the components of RCP Ð digitizing and leading to better data and time-stamped alarms. SpeciÞ cally geared to Subchapter ÒMÓ / RCP requirements, the system can integrate existing data but also can also be set up for those who donÕt have a system already, easily creating templates and reports. The Tugboat Compliance solution could also be packaged as a turnkey service; software plus recertiÞ cation inspections. But, Tiecheira admits that initial certiÞ cations using a software / SMS provider that also does the inspections may represent a conß ict of interest. Today, Tugboat compliance Systems already has a set of existing clients; with a few of those in the ÒturnkeyÓ client category. Can a software Þ rm born as the brainchild surveyor/auditor wear both hats in the subM game? It appears that it can. But, as Tiecheira likes to put it Ð perhaps in reference to the enterprise providers who provide the entire soup-to-nuts operating software suite, ÒWe do one thing Ð not a thousand.Ó MN 19www.marinelink.com MN Feb2013 Layout 18-31.indd 19MN Feb2013 Layout 18-31.indd 191/30/2013 4:47:36 PM1/30/2013 4:47:36 PM